Sacrificial Love

Tossed aside.  Rejected.  Empty.  Unloved.  Hurt.  Broken.  Lost.  All these adjectives once described the way I felt about my life....until I asked Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and be the Lord of my life.    Easter is a few days away and as you read this article, you might be one who does not believe in Jesus Christ and to you, the day of Easter is just a day filled with egg hunts and chocolate bunnies, nothing more. 

Well, if you look closely at the picture below you won't see any bunnies here.  This picture depicts one of the true images of what Easter is all about.  I chose this picture for a specific purpose...because it  is heart-wrenching and gruesome, yet, it portrays a sacrificial love.  For me, I can not look at the picture without thinking about the excruciating pain, agony, humiliation and despair that Christ must have felt as He went to the Cross for you and I.  Every time I look at it my heart aches as I ponder at how people can reject PERFECT LOVE when He laid His life down for them.  But, as I look back over my own life, I, too, rejected Him as well, and it took me 26 years to admit my need for a Savior.  As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one.  Romans 3:10 

"But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  Luke 17:25

"This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  1 John 4:10

And by the way, we have done nothing to deserve this kind of love and HE DID NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS KIND OF DEATH.  

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:2

A note to those that know Jesus as their Lord and Savior:  when you are faced with attacks, trials and hardships...remember to have the right perspective.  "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. " Matthew 6:33,34  Take a good look at the picture again to see what He endured for your sins.  Will He not take care of your needs as well?  Of course He will!  That is why He is called the Good Shepherd.

Is your faith weak?  Have you walked away from the Lord?  Do you need to be restored?  Turn back to Christ.  Jesus will ALWAYS receive you no matter how far you have strayed from the faith.  "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry." Luke 15:21-24

A note to those that don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior:  Christ came to this earth just for you.  He died on the Cross just for your sins so you can spend eternity with Him in Heaven rather than an eternity in Hell.   "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16  Jesus will love you unconditionally.  He will always forgive you of your sins and He will never leave you, nor forsake you.  The Lord made you and He has a purpose for your life.    If you want to accept Jesus into your heart all you have to do is ask Him to forgive you of your sins, tell Him you want to live a life that is pleasing to Him and that you want Him to be the Lord of your life.  Next, find a Bible-teaching church and grow in the Lord.  You won't regret your decision!

Every single human being needs to hear the biblically-accurate account of the Easter story, otherwise known as the Gospel message.  We have all been tossed aside, rejected,  empty,  unloved,  hurt,  broken and  lost and we all have a need for a Savior on a daily basis.  Easter is a time to rejoice knowing that our Shepherd came for His sheep. "All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all."  Isaiah 53:6

Whether you have never heard of Christ or the Gospel message, or you have walked away from the Lord, or you have denied Christ or perhaps you just need to be reminded again of the true meaning of Sacrificial Love, the Easter season is a wonderful time to reflect and draw closer to the Lord.  It is the prayer of my heart that you do so.